Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

[meganbmoore]

Lover Eternal is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  As I posted on the first book just a few days ago, I won't get  deeply into it(click the tag) but the short version is that they're like the Dark Hunter books, only to the Nth Degree, less emo and more badass.  Oh, and I don't mind reading about these Mary Sues, while most of the DH ones drive me batty.

LE is about Rhage, the supermanslut brother has literally has a demon living inside him.  He somewhat unwisely meets and falls in love with Mary(is there also a heroine named Sue?  I DEMAND A HEROINE NAMED SUE!!!!) a pure young woman with cancer who works with young autistic children.  I ask you, how do you get more angsty vampire romance than that?

I admit, like the first book, I'm not sure it was necessarily "good," though I think I'm closer to being able to say I liked it.  Though, I still didn't care aboutthe romance.  The main romance that is.

But then, about 3/4s through, Ward gave me Zsadist/Bella  after briefly hinting at it early on. I. AM. IN. LOVE.  I freely confess to spending most of there on out wishing that Rhage and Mary would angst over her leukemia and his demon somewhere else so it could be all about Zsadist and Bella.  When i go for obsessive and messed up, I majorly go for seriously obsessive and seriously messed up.  Because Zsadist?  Think of Zarek from DH(BEST! CHARACTER! IN! SERIES!...except Ash...and it should be noted that the only DH romance I care about is Zarek/Astrid...all the other girls could die and I wouldn't mind...well, except Dangereuse, I kinda liked her...but a couple I'd rather have die), only 100 times more so.  I honestly have no idea how to explain Zsadist/Bella right now, but I shall try in their book.

There's also John Matthew...I get a glimmer of why I'm going to be awed by and in love with him later, but right now I'm still rather "aww...mute kiddie soon-to-be-vampire from the streets with eoobie issues."

Also, on the name front, we have added Tohrture and Rehvenge, neither of whom we actually meet, but as Rehvenge is Bella seriously overprotective(by all accounts) brother, I'm sure he'll be all over Zsadist and Bella's book.

Oh, and in addition to having their True Love's name carved into their back at wedding ceremonies, the brothers apparently also mourn while kneeling naked on either shards of glass or sharp diamonds, I'm not sure it was confirmed which.

I wonder what's in the water Ward drinks, or if it's what she eats.

In closing, I would like to point out that this is one of only 2 vampire romance series that I deliberately read, and for that matter, BBD and DH are the only vampire books I get on the basis of their being vampire books.  Take that as you will.

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I TOLD YOU.

Though, for some bizarre reason, I also like Rehv. I suspect my brain has been warped beyond all salvation. I normally want to kill drug-dealing pimps.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I did not doubt you.

"blah blah...leukemia...blah blah...demon...blah blah....must use other women to save her from my evil side...blah bl...WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT 50 TON MAC TRUCK OF OTP THAT JUST BLINDSIDED ME????"

I knew there was something wrong with me when I went "OMG! YES!" when Bella was kidnapped by a sadistic vampire hunter who surrogates women for the now dead girlfriend he regularly beat and kills them when they no longer remind him of her, because now it means that Zsadist will go and literally tear the world apart to find her. I was saddened that we ended on a gushy happy ending instead of Zsadist and Butch doing their little vowing to find her thing. And torture and kill O, of course.

Considering how amazingly well you called Zsadist and Zsadist/Bella, I fear my reaction to Rehvenge.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Oh! And I also have no doubts that you will love John Matthew and the two friends he picks up, Qhinn & Blaylock!

(Did you pick up on what John Matthew's deal was and what cliche he's warping?)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I have an inkling, but confess that this is a case of my "woobie!" reaction over powering me...I gather some sort of reincarnation hero/villain thing, ex-Arthur. And of course, the "tall dark and silent" thing.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Yup!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Thought so. I shall break for a bit of good, clean high fantasy and a bit of manga, and then read book 3.